Requests??

hey up, guys and girls...

... the font of digital knowledge - Barry - has informed me that we have boatloads of storage space available to us so we need to find a way to use some of it.
To this end, I suggest a hitlist of Westone or Matsumoku instruments that we'd like to see and hear being played, not necessarily through a Marshall stack, but through a smaller combo without FX perhaps?? We don't need a comprehensive test as such; just a taster would be great! What do you reckon?

I'll do a few once I get my bad self organised with a digital vid camera; I have Spectrums (ST, GT, GTBass, LX, and MX,) Genesis II, X300PP, Clipper 4112, Spectrum II SP1012, Raider II, APII LC440 and  U-60, Vantage Avengers x 4, VS 696-12, Invader II and Electra Phoenix X195 and an XV-1R Lady: Anything there anyone is interested in hearing?

I'd like to hear and see an X350MA and X390 - looking at you, Damian!, a Monark and to see/hear a Spec FX A/B'ed against a Spec LX. I'd quite like to hear a Concord and a Thunder 1A, and a TIII V.3 as well....

So, something to be going on with, eh!

Yeah, this would be the perfect excuse to revisit the "Demo" section and develop it into something really special.

We started off with great hopes some time ago with 2 contributions from Gittarasaurus and another from notnumber (thanks again fellas!) But there's been nothing else for a very long time.

We realize that not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera and maybe not confident in "performing" but that's OK, we're not auditioning you, it's your Westone we're interested in hearing!

So here are a few more ideas to chew on:

• Video of the guitar being played
  -clean versus overdrive with just a touch of reverb, forget the pedals and amp effects
  -simple pickup comparison plus specialized controls effects (coil cut, phase reverse, etc)
  -short, non-complicated musical phrases or chords which can be easily understood and compared at all settings
  
• Video walk about
  -a simple non-playing video "documentary" to augment the picture database
  -pointing out main features and possibly any relevant anecdotes or brief explanation of your resto/repair, etc.
  
• Audio clip only
  -as above but without the video portion--you'd need to offer an audio description as to what we're listening to as things change, or include a written description to accompany the recording with time mark references
  
• Live performance clips
  -always interesting but not always easy to get good audio quality--not the entire song, just the relevant portions which demonstrate the instrument's abilities in a real situation
  
• Pickup model comparisons?
  -MMK45 vs MMK75 etc
  -same pup in different guitars--solid body versus semi acoustic--same guitar, different woods
  

What else ya got?

What a great idea guys and it's makes total sense to complete the available guitar specs with audio files.

Mike I would love to hear the Genesis II, The Clipper and Raider if and when you get a chance please.

I can add some samples to the pot at some stage too but all mine at present are treated recorded sounds so obviously not a true representation, and of course in a reggae vibe

Great Idea. I can add Raider I and II as well as Dimension IV Bass, Pantera Bass, and a few more here and there

In light of the recent upset over Imageshack removing members' pictures and holding them to ransom, I was thinking that perhaps we might add a Restoration section to the website? Most of the stock or hard to find models have been transferred already, so they're represented pretty well, but there are some outstanding modifications which deserve recognition too.

Forum members have done just about everything to our beloved Westies, ranging from cleanup/setup restoration, to parts replacement mods, to full blown Lazarus rebuilds!

Off the top of my head I think we might add a cross reference from the stock models listing to a new Resto/Mods section. It'll give folks a little more recognition for their hard work as well as preserve the pictures within our own control.

Whatcherthink?

Anything that adds a bit of interest is good; I'm in!! Whaddya need??

If anyone would like their handiwork "immortalized" on our own website, they only need send me a link to your posts and I'll work it from there. (No way I'm going through thousands of posts to find yours!)

If you want to add any more descriptive info please include it in the message.

Ordinarily I'd pinch the pix from the posts (he said alliteratively). However, if they're gone thanks to Imageshack, I can't do that and you'll obviously have to supply those too.

I am working on just how to display everything on the site but that will suggest itself as requests come in.

Oh, if you are including pix, a zipped file would be preferred.

Great idea Barry......a man with a plan.

Second that, Barry did good.

Just please... PLEASE no videos of Barry dancing.

Sheesh, just when I wuz about to start on a new career too!

Hey!
I have added a new selection to the FixMe option on the web site.

I'm anticipating two main categories, hence the title. Restos will have the major structural/refinishing type work and Mods things like hardware repair/replacement including electronics.

So let's have some links I can use to begin adding some content eh?

Moo hoo haa haaa  

I've been musing ('cuz that's about all I can do these days) about breaking off the MIK models into their own area.
There are some which are outstanding such as the Clipper, and others which are unusual like the Terminator, and I'm wondering if we need to to push the mandate a bit to include more MIK's?? We already include some on the web site.

The difficulty lay in knowing just where to draw the line. Instruments made shortly after the Mats plant closing are almost definitely worth considering, but how far out do you push the envelope? How many months? Years? Is this going to dilute the MIJ legacy too much?

Reactions and comments please.

Hmmmm... well, we do cater for the Sid Poole instruments a little bit now - as much as we can, anyway! - so a section on the Koreans is probably not too much of a stretch. Do we know when the Korean production of Westone ceased? I see the last catalogue scan is from 1990, and if that's the case, then the cutoff date could be around 1990 perhaps?

There's a swag of 87-90 Westone models, which it must be said, are generally a superstrat - or superTele!! - configuration and are of a very high build quality, certainly they lose very little in comparison with Matt-era instruments; it's just that the Matsumoku went just a little batsh1t crazy in the design and made really cool gear! The top of the line gear - X350 et al. really are the ducks nuts and lose nothing to any other company and I doubt we'll ever see their like again in a mass-produced instrument.

Oddly enough, just before sitting down here, I was thumping out the tunes on the 4112 Clipper... the neck is just sick; absolutely bee-yoo-ti-ful and while the switching setup is a PITA and the pickups a little sterile at lounge room volume, the build quality is superb, and at high gain on the amp with the taps wide open on the guitar, it really growls like a good 'un!!

So. I say "Yes!" to a Korean section.

Lads???

I say that ALL bonafide Westone guitars get space on the site.  Regardless of plant. 

Even the Electra/Westone should have space, in my opinion, as they bear the name "Westone"!!! 

Just not the cheapy junk knock off versions, like that horrible Mockingbird style and so on...

I think defining a post-Mats Westies section has some merit, and I'm inclined to agree with John about the 1990 cutoff date.

There are already representations on the site but they're kinda buried in with the Mats selections. Perhaps a simple reshuffling initially to make it a bit more obvious is in order?

I did introduce small flag icons in the Description section of most of the listings. Maybe that idea could be enlarged a bit for better visibility and identification purposes.

Sid Poole, FCN, Status Graphite, et al, probably deserve a bit more clarity too, and they extend the 1990 boundary to ????

Electra-Westone is definitely "family" but I hesitate to try and start featuring that badging since that is already being well done elsewhere (and the link is referenced on our site).

And there are also the short lived Concord badges, some of which we have already integrated into the main listings. But I don't think anything else need be done by way of featuring them??

Gets a tad convoluted don't it?

Barry, just PM'd you.

Barry wrote:I think defining a post-Mats Westies section has some merit, and I'm inclined to agree with John about the 1990 cutoff date.

Sid Poole, FCN, Status Graphite, et al, probably deserve a bit more clarity too, and they extend the 1990 boundary to ????

Just speaking personally I think the Sid Poole range deserves a place with some more clarity, if for no other reason than they carry the name with pride and totally up hold the quality and playability of most of the Matt's range. Their market place timing and pitch was unfortunate in not relaunching the brand identity that was, but that does not detract from their place in the brand name's history...like I say, just my opinion.

I confess my ignorance where Sid Poole is concerned. I'm open to edification from them wot knows the history.

The Chad wrote:Barry, just PM'd you.

Done.

Damian may know more about the Sid Poole stuff...

... they certainly seem well regarded and little known outside the UK.

Don't know any more than whats known already.

Can send some photos of the guts if needed?

Thanks Damian, the more we have the merrier. Looking more like a reorganization of the web site is looming.